"...thank you for reading and please forgive my absence..."

For those of you who are wondering what in the devil has happened to me....I've been officially eaten alive by the whole wedding planning process! I knew how stressful it seemed but I certainly did NOT know how stressful it actually is! Yoga is helping. I've started taking a yoga class and the stress/tension relief I get from it is amazing! For those of you who struggle with stress, I highly recommend you find something to help you let it go. I feel so relaxed when I leave. I have to say, it probably is doubly helpful that I'm actually exercising rather than coming home stressed to sit in front of the tele.

For those of you who are even the slightest bit interested, here is my list of accomplishments regarding the wedding thus far:

Location, Date, & Time - Set
Attendants - check
Minister - check
Photographer - check
Jewelery - in the process of being made
Invitations - ordered FINALLY!!!
Sound system for music & ceremony - check
Music - being collected and organized
Bridesmaid dress - check
The suits for the guys- check

These are the items still lacking but which need to be decided on very soon:

Caterer
Cake
Flowers/Decor
Dress
Tables, Chairs, Dinnerware
Hair & Accessories including the veil

I have a dress but I'm unsure if I'll be wearing that one the day of. It's a nice dress but I'm on the fence still as to whether I LOVE it. A quick look at other options won't kill me but might break the budget...more on this later.

I need to make some mock up decorations so I can convince my mother that I can save money and keep it tasteful. Now the problem is where I'll find the time to do this? Brad and I are hoping to get some food tasting in this weekend so perhaps we can settle on a caterer soon.

That's the skinny...and pretty much my life at the moment. SO, thank you for reading and please forgive my absence if I don't post for awhile. I hope you can understand that my priorities have shifted slightly until after June 7th!

Well, it's about time...

About time for us to get married! Brad and I are engaged, finally! We've set a date for June 7, 2008. That's 06/07/08...ha, ha....we couldn't resist! Its sort of retribution for Brad as my birthday is less than a week after Christmas and now our anniversary will be one week before his birthday. It'll be a small intimate family affair. Our parents are excited that we finally came to our senses, well, that Brad came to his! Ha, ha...love you, Babe! Seriously, he's the greatest and I'm so lucky!

Yeah!!! I'm done with my swap items for Christi! Sorry it took me so long, Chica! I hope these goodies still fit Itty Bitty when you get them. If not, let me know and I'll make you more. Some first for me on this one. The first time appliqueing something with my machine. Christi, this is the day I was telling you about hating my machine too. Christi is my emailing buddy. We chat and swap ideas (all day sometimes) all through email. She's getting on her crafty groove all while raising Itty Bitty. How do you do it, girl? YOU ROCK!!!! Christi has been trying to get me to visit her to help her figure out why her machine hates her. We're working on that rendezvous, but keep trucking til then, sista! It amazes me, even without a machine she still can rock it out! Visit her Etsy shop here and check her out! www.clarenmonroe.etsy.com

Things I'm working on now include a wallet for a co-worker, a new bed order for Sandy & Buster, an Easter dress for myself, and a baby quilt for my cousin's shower in a couple of weeks. Yikes! Where does the time go? Sometimes I think I just keep making up things to do so I don't have to fear running out of items. Plus, it gives me things to blog about in the meantime.

Stay tuned to hear more about this baby quilt. I'm copying another woman's technique and I'm hoping mine turns out as amazing as hers! I'm fearful that it'll be 'interesting'. Oh, and if I can manage, I'll be back to reveal my new Easter dress!

A bed for pampered pooches and a bag for Brazil!

Hello All! After some time away, I finished the infamous dog bed order I'd so carelessly slipped behind on. It's wonderful! Here are some pics of Buster and Sandy enjoying it! Aren't they adorable? Too cute for words for sure!



Now, I've got some photos for you of the bag I made my sister for her trip to Brazil! She's finally back so now she's promised me pictures so I can show everyone how cute it turned out! Here are a couple pictures for you to feast your eyes upon! She said everyone was so jealous of it and wanted to know where she's gotten it. Tell everyone you know, Jen!!!

I'm still here...just BEHIND!!!!!

Well, those stealing moments sure have gotten me into a heap of mess now! I have the tendency to be a bit ADD, so I shouldn't let myself get sidetracked on a 'small' project when I've other big ones at hand. I tend to forget about the big ones and dive deep into those little ones. So, suffice to say that I'm now back on track but working like mad trying to make up some serious ground.

I'm sewing like crazy to get the last dog bed out the door. It's nearly halfway done but I'm still sewing! I'm afraid I'm going to have to lower my price so the customer won't feel shafted for my taking so long. Oh well, the price of doing your own thing, Michelle. Also in the works are orders for five trash items, a set of baby booties for my friend Christi, and the rest of Brad's boxer shorts. Oh, I've been distracted so long that I forgot to post the result of my Valentine's Day boxer short experiment!

This the front as modeled by my dress form. They DO NOT fit me/her nearly as well as they fit him!

And the rear...you can see what I'm talking about here. Unfortunately, they were too short for him but they seemed to fit everywhere else. So, I'm taking more guy appropriate fabric and making more for him. I'm really proud of these! But, the next ones have to have the fly open to the correct side as I managed to goof that up too! I also promised to try to hem his pants for him. I'll let you know how it goes.

I managed to squeeze in a bag for my sister for her trip to Brazil. I don't have pictures of it yet as it was a mad dash to get it to her before she boarded the plane, but there will be plenty to come when she returns if the bag is still in one piece by then. I'm sure it will hold, but the swiftness in which I sewed it makes me nervous that I didn't spend the extra time making sure everything would sustain a trip abroad. It is mad cute, however! This also is quite a source of pride. It was constructed from a pair of my grandmother's shorts and a t-shirt I found at the thrift store. It's too cute for words so I'll just leave it at that until I can get some pictures to say it all!

Stealing moments

Good morning, all!

Sorry if you've been keeping up and you feel slighted because I didn't post yesterday. Nothing much happened. I dragged my zombie self to work early because my boss is out on vacation. I expected another day from hell but it was fairly quiet. That's a good and bad thing. Good because I'm not sure how I would have handled the day being so tired but bad because I didn't have anything really good to complain about except that I was tired. Ha, ha.

I've been busy stealing a few ME moments lately. I organized our bedroom closet this weekend as we desperately need the space. I also bought a pegboard and white board to help get my sewing room more organized and I've been thinking about adding a new shelving unit to increase fabric storage space. I'd been wanting a stool so I could sew and use my laptop on the cutting table and I remembered that my grandfather had bar stools he weren't using anymore. I snagged one this weekend and I finished recovering the seat last night. Viola! A new chair! I really like how it turned out and hope that it helps brighten the mood of the room and inspires my creativity!

I also made a new bed for Miss Hunnie. I made her a cot this time instead of the pillow type. I bought some pvc pipe at the home improvement store and constructed a frame. Then, I sewed rubber sheeting between an old sheet I had and stretched it over the frame. I had to try out a few different methods for keeping the cover on the frame as Miss Hunnie seems to be a bit porky these days! Ha, ha. So far, so good; she seems to love it. Maybe I just found myself a new protype to offer customers?

I hope to be adding more items to my store soon. I've got some things floating in my head for V-day but have yet to get them started. Stay tuned....

Another Order!

Brad successfully sold another custom dog bed yesterday! Way to go, honey! So last night after work, I went out on a shopping mission to find hunter green towels to make the cover. I thought this would be a much easier task than it turned out to be. I found a couple that I might could use, but I'm still on the hunt for the perfect towels.

My first commissioned order, two dog beds for Virginia, turned out beautifully! I received an email from Virginia this morning telling me how satisfied they are with them. That's wonderful news! It fires me up for more. Here are pictures of the ones I made for Virginia.

They are 32"x38" with a removable cover & separate vinyl insert. I made the cover out of a really soft throw blanket. One side has a cotton twill that will stay cool in the summer; the perfect retreat for these Hotlanta days! I've asked her to send me pictures of the dogs lounging on them and I'll post one as soon as I get a chance.

In the meantime y'all, send me an email if you see something you like on my Flickr page and want me to make you one. Also, don't forget that you might know someone who is looking for something special. I can do all sorts of things so don't be turned off if you don't see what you're looking for on one of my sites. Please email me and we can talk about what exactly you're looking for and how I can help.

Thanks!

New Morning Routine

Mmmm...breakfast! The most important meal of the day. I keep telling Brad this, but he still only drinks a million cups of coffee for 'breakfast'. Oh well, guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Speaking of dogs, ours start my morning ritual. Miss Hunnie, our 9-yr old Spitz/Jack Russell mix is the one that actually gets me out of bed in the morning, but I am awake much sooner as a result of Casey, our 9-yr old Australian Shepard/Dalmation mix. Casey is the nervous one, Miss Hunnie is full of pissy attitude; quite the combination. I usually hear Casey pacing the floors and scratching her ears about an hour before Miss Hunnie actually gets up and moving about. I take them out and then I make breakfast. The daily special has been oatmeal since it turned cold. That's oatmeal in the picture above, in case you had any doubts. Bascially, it's one banana, honey, craisins, 1/3 cup oatmeal, and milk. I pop it in the microwave for 5.5 minutes on med. power and then sit down at the computer to check email and read blogs. On this morning, however, I sat down with my oatmeal to write a post. Next, I'll feed the girls and be off to the shower.

Casey and Miss Hunnie usually wait patiently until I've eaten and then the mad (litterally angry and fast) dash begins to the room where we feed them. There is lots of growling and whining from both and then sometimes, they won't even eat. We're just amazed that the two of them can even be in the same room now, though they keep their boundaries in their own way. For instance, while they wait for me, they lay on opposites sides of the room.

This picture I managed to get simply because the camera meant mom was paying them attention to get the perfect shot. One year ago, this would have resulted in a fight and a very expensive vet bill. They're cute, but a handful!

I did manage to get quite a bit of organization done yesterday for the business. I'm very pleased with my progress. I feel slightly better about walking into the unknown. At least I'll be somewhat organized, right? I got my inventory receipts cataloged from last year and started a log for this year, made some folders for taxes, and even looked into some advertising. All-in-all, a very productive day. We'll see if today can be just as productive.

The girls have been fed so it's time for that shower. Later, y'all!

Chasing that dream just got more 'interesting'

Hello all!

Today, chasing that dream of mine gets a bit more 'interesting' as I'm starting a blog! I've always needed someone to talk to about anything and what better way to get those thoughts and feelings out of my head than to tell a bunch of strangers? Hopefully, in the coming months, you won't stay just strangers, however. So, welcome!

Let me just say that this adventure of starting your own business, while exciting and rewarding, is quite the little pill to swallow. I've always been one to plan for months before doing anything and now I feel like I've been pushed out the door without remembering to get dressed first. I know as time goes on and I become more comfortable with what I'm doing that things will eventually get easier.

Let me introduce myself. Bless your hearts, you've gotten two paragraphs into my rant without me telling you anything about me. My name is Michelle. I was born and raised in Atlanta, GA. I always wanted to sew but didn't have any proper training or even a sewing machine. Well, my mom had one that I borrowed once but she barely used it and I'm not sure she really showed me how to use it. I did manage to get a quilt sewn, horribly I might add, for my sister one year for Christmas. Jen, do you even use that thing? Did you ever? Anyway, I really started to get the itch to sew again last year and one day, I just went to Walmart and bought a machine. I, of course, had to research every machine available for sale before buying one so I guess stating that I just went out and got one is misleading. In any event, I've been unstoppable ever since then.

The first thing I made was curtains for my house. It seemed easy enough and I'm awfully proud of how they turned out. The best thing was how people reacted when they saw what I'd done with virtually no instruction at all. I have since learned that this appreciation is what I thrive on and it keeps me sewing for more. I've done tons of things since then and people are still amazed at what I can do.

Not being happy with my current form of employment (I'm an architect), I decided that I'd try to see if I can make this sewing thing a business. So, I launched an online store on Etsy (runningdownaseam.etsy.com), decided on my business name (Runningdownaseam), got an email address (runningdownaseam@gmail.com), and now I'm blogging all in the hopes of making it big or at least moderately sized for a one-girl operation.


The love of my life, Brad, has been very instrumental in encouraging my business as he's responsible for my first commission job and possibly a second. Keep up the good work, honey. You're the greatest!

So welcome again! I hope you find this journey of mine into creative bliss as exciting and rewarding as I hope it'll be for myself! If you're interested in items I've made or are currently working on, please visit my Flickr page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/runningdownaseam/ ). Or, if you'd like to see what I've got for sale in my store, please visit my Etsy page (see the like above). I also do custom orders so if you've got something in mind that you're looking to have made, please don't hesitate to drop me an email (see above) so we can discuss. I will be adding direct links from here to each of these so stay tuned.